Captain's Corner: Mangrove snapper tips

What's hot: It has been well-documented that night fishing for mangrove snapper during the full moon phase can be special. On Saturday's full moon, we proved the daylight bite can be pretty sporty, too. We caught more than 60 mangos on a stop in 47 feet southwest of Pass-a-Grille. Despite muddy water, they found our chum line after half an hour. A chum bag is instrumental. At first, offer pieces of squid and cut bait. Pieces will be knocked off or regurgitated by grunts, puffers and other bottom dwellers. After catching a couple of mangroves on the pieces, it's time to offer live stuff. Once in the chum line, the aggressive mangos can't resist a frisky whitebait on lighter tackle.

Technique: Mangos can sometimes be chummed to the surface, and fly-lined spinning tackle can provide the best action. Even small chunks of bait on a No. 1 live bait hook will be ravished when drifted down with particles from the chum bag.

Tips: A mangrove snapper bite will seldom last longer than a couple of hours. When it's on, keep as many rods in the water as you can. Having premade rigs will expedite downtime when break-offs occur.

Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 321-2142.